Cake tastes better than broccoli. Laying on the couch with the remote control in your hand scrolling through television channels feels better to some of us than sweat and exercise. So, what makes people choose the latter instead of the former. Why would an individual leave the comfort of the couch and head to the gym to get sweaty? The madness of such a thing!
Most of us know what is good for us, but the pull of immediate satisfaction tends to get the best of us. It’s tough to stick to a plan that requires us to forego joy right now, for happiness down the road. Humans smoke even though it’s been linked to cancer and overindulge in sugar even though it has been linked to obesity. There are a lot of theories behind this but I want to try to give you some ways to stay committed to your long-term goals.
Attach an immediate reward to your positive actions- I had a client that added 2 dollars to a jar every time she worked out for a month. She earned herself a nice $80 that she used to get some new shoes. Workouts equaled shoes in her mind instead of sweat and muscle soreness. It was enough to get her going in the right direction.
Attach some form of punishment to your negative actions- Miss a workout, no social media for a day. Eat something that isn’t allowed in your nutrition plan, do 20 burpees.
By creating a system of immediate rewards and punishments you will be more likely to stick to the plan. Think about it. It’s the way our parents trained us to act right. This may seem silly to you, but it’s how we are engineered. Well, at least most of us. Some individuals are just machines working towards their goals without ever losing focus. That’s not always me, so sometimes I rely on small tricks to keep me pushing towards my future goals. Try it. It’s worth a shot especially since it can help you become healthier.
Email me at BeastCoachMoe@gmail.com
to let me know if it works for you or for any other fitness advice.